A Pinay mom from Cavite and Rizal blogs on her insights & anecdotes about her Filipino family life, home, motherhood, parenting, lifestyle, health, home & fitness tips, entertainment, current issues and more...

Thursday, July 5, 2012

It is not everyday that I get to publish a guest post but I did agree to this one as the topic rings true. Read on...

Watch just about any 1960s family sitcom
rerun and you'll find a dad who works all day in an office and a mom who stays
home and takes care of the house and kids — a reflection of the middle-class
society of the day. Fast-forward 50 years and nearly 60 percent of married
couples have two working parents. This trend, coupled with higher unemployment
rates, means that more dads than ever are taking an increasingly active role in
child-rearing, whether out of necessity, increased availability or both.

It's not uncommon these days to see dads at the playground or at daycare
drop-off and pick-up. And while the number of stay-at-home fathers is still
quite small — only 3.4 percent of all stay-at-home parents in 2011, according
to a Boston College study — it has nearly doubled in the past decade. While
dads are more involved than ever in their children's daily lives, moms are
still the primary caregivers in most families, and children benefit from having
two parents who are highly engaged in their upbringing.

There is little dispute that fathers and mothers have vastly different
parenting styles. As a general rule, dads tend to be more laid back and less
fearful than moms about letting their children explore and make mistakes.
Fathers also tend to be more boisterous and physical in their play.

When parents accept the differences in their styles and don't criticize one
another for their parenting choices, their children tend to be more patient and
have better relationships with their peers. James McHale, Ph.D., of the
University of South Florida led a study involving more than 200 new parents and
found that moms and dads can learn a lot from one another, which ultimately
benefits their children by having two more well-equipped parents.

Authors Biography: Briana Kelly has
over 5 years experience writing articles and speaking about the subject of
childcare and parenting. She regularly works on behalf of childcare
centres in Dublin.